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After finishing breakfast,
Bochang rushed straight to Rivet Town without anyone accompanying him—not even Pascal or Sophia, as he entrusted them to Stelle.
Although the other members of the Trailblaze squad disapproved of his solo mission,
...due to Bochang's strong insistence,
they refrained from following and instead proceeded directly to the Overworld.
En route to Rivet Town, Bochang pondered how to confront Aeon or possibly one of Aeon's Emanators upon arrival.
"I remember reading somewhere... that Sampo seems to have a connection with the Aeon of Joy..."
Bochang typically avoided spoilers, preferring to progress through the game independently, which left him with only fragmented knowledge about these details.
At this point, whether it was true or not didn't matter much.
[Rewards being distributed - Congratulations! You have earned a Praise of High Morals. At Belobog's Administrative District Central Plaza, you can consume one Praise of High Morals to retrieve treasures from the fountain once. Note: This type of item will...]
Bochang had already arrived at Rivet Town.
Aha instructed him to reach here before noon, and Bochang made it by nine o'clock, arriving over two hours early.
The rift creatures in Rivet Town had been cleared once by the four members of the Trailblaze squad.
Without the presence of Stellaron, the generation speed of rift creatures here couldn't compare to its previous rate.
Currently, it was the ideal time to search for resources within the town, but no one else seemed aware of the situation yet.
When Bochang arrived at Rivet Town, he saw no scavengers' presence; it remained eerily empty.
In areas swallowed by rifts, strange spatial distortions were still visible.
If Bochang's guess was correct, new rift creatures must be currently forming within those distortions.
"Perhaps they'll even create new monsters modeled after the Trailblaze squad..." Bochang mused as he traversed Rivet Town, akin to wandering through a ghost town.
Silence reigned supreme.
It seemed that due to the significant reduction in rift creatures here, Svarog had reassigned the automatons patrolling Rivet Town to other locations. This left the small town unusually quiet, evoking an indescribable sense of unease.
Bochang halted and asked, "Did I arrive too early?"
"Indeed, somewhat early."
Just as he finished speaking, another voice echoed from behind him, surprisingly close to Bochang.
Aeon Aha appeared unexpectedly without any warning signs.
Bochang remained completely unaware of Aha's presence.
This also indicated one thing - Aha had not displayed any malice. Otherwise, Bochang's Spider Sense would have alerted him.
Gripping his Vow Spear tightly, Bochang swiftly turned around and saw an orange clown mask floating in mid-air.
Face-to-face.
The entity was no more than a meter away.
"You are... who exactly? What brings you here with this invitation?" Pretending not to recognize the other party, Bochang took a step back, striving to compose himself. Facing Aeon... his strength paled in comparison, lacking any means to overcome such an adversary. His only option was to maintain composure and engage in conversation.
The response from [Dating Option] was equally straightforward.
Only by meeting with Aha alone would there be a chance to survive; attempting to avoid or bringing others along would guarantee certain death.
"I am Aha, and the reason for seeking you out is quite simple, Bochang. You disturbed Aha's amusement, so Aha has decided to find entertainment through you."
The corners of the orange clown mask's mouth abruptly curved upwards, displaying an extremely exaggerated smile.
Bochang's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
[Dating Options have been activated.]
[Option 1: Thrust your spear forth and say, "Aha... Aeon? You pretentious charlatan, take this first strike!" - Completion Reward: Obtain Skill 'Grand Dragon Courage'. When facing someone stronger than yourself, any damage dealt to them will always result in a critical hit.]
[Option 2: Question with skepticism, "Aeon? Do you really think I'd believe such nonsense?" - Completion Reward: Obtain Random Item (size ranges from a matchstick to a star destroyer). Note: This type of item will...]
[Option Three: Immediately bow with clenched fists and say, "If you do not object, I would be honored to recognize you as my godfather." — Completion Reward: Obtain Skill, Honoring My Godfather Above All Else—Any damage dealt to someone who agrees to become your godfather will always result in a critical hit.]
Three options.
This time, all three options offer rewards.
It's quite uncommon.
Bochang briefly ranked the rewards in order:
He felt that Dragon's Roar > Honoring My Godfather Above All Else > Random Item.
"But... stabbing Aeon, isn't that too risky?"
Bochang fell into indecision.
Among these options, the riskiest was the first.
The easiest was the second.
And the most amusing was the third.
Bochang had a hunch... if he genuinely tried to adopt Aeon as his godfather on the spot, Aha would definitely agree, possibly even being delighted by such a gesture.
After all...
Aeon was here for amusement.
In his joy, Aeon might even grant Bochang an Emanator identity just for fun.
"However, having Dating Options is enough for me; forget about becoming an Emanator. I don't want to attract Aeon's attention."
"Moreover, since these are rewards, they likely carry minimal risk. I should go for the one with the most substantial reward... Wait, no, it's not just about the reward; typically speaking...the greater the reward, the higher the cost seems to be."
Bochang recalled his sleepless night and the soreness from Dan Heng's stomping yesterday.
Directly attacking an Aeon seemed too risky.
Even if the reward was significant, Bochang feared he would ultimately suffer greatly, especially at the hands of an Aeon.
"For safety's sake, I'll choose the third option."
Having made his decision, Bochang immediately bowed with clasped fists and said, "If you will not reject me, I humbly wish to recognize you as my godfather."
[Reward being granted - Congratulations! You have received the skill 'Under the Patronage of My Godfather': Whenever the opponent agrees to become your godfather, any damage you inflict upon them will always result in a critical hit.]
Upon hearing this,
Aha momentarily froze, then instantly realized that Bochang had guessed his identity.
"Intriguing, quite intriguing..." The smile on the orange clown mask became even more exaggerated. "Are you so certain I am the Aha you know? Perhaps I'm merely an imposter."
"Being able to silently appear behind me, even if not the true Aeon Aha, signifies a presence I cannot defy."
"Becoming your godfather isn't shameful," Bochang responded, lifting his head.
He gazed at the floating orange clown mask.
Despite being just a mask, it seemed remarkably lifelike, capable of expressing a range of emotions.
"Hmm...not bad, very impressive indeed. Originally, I planned to give you a stern lesson, but since you show such understanding, let's skip that part. As for adopting you as my godson, Aha accepts - however..."
"It's not enough fun, far from enough fun."
"Therefore...as my godson, accompanying your godfather in some games and seeking amusement should be no issue, right?"
The orange clown mask spoke rapidly without pausing.
Bochang's racing heart finally settled down.
It was clear now; had he chosen the first option, he would have directly faced Aeon's intimidating display.
Instead, all he needed to do was engage in some games with this entity.
Wait...will these games be serious or purely for amusement?